Straight Ahead (Amy Grant album)

Straight Ahead
Studio album by Amy Grant
Released	1984
Recorded	1983-1984 Caribou Ranch, Nederland, CO
Genre	Gospel/Christian
Length	38:36
Label	Myrrh
Producer	Brown Bannister
Amy Grant chronology
A Christmas Album (1983) Straight Ahead (1984) Unguarded (1985)

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source	Rating
Allmusic

Straight Ahead is the eighth album by Christian music artist Amy Grant, released in 1984. This was Grant's final album on Myrrh Records; she would later strike a record deal with A&M Records.^{[citation needed]}

Straight Ahead was the follow-up to Grant's ground-breaking 1982 album Age to Age. Containing songs that were more aggressive than the ones found on Age to Age, Straight Ahead was not as commercially successful as its predecessor. Nonetheless, it still topped Billboard's Christian album chart for sixty-one weeks, knocking Age to Age from the number-one position. The song "Angels" was also a No. 1 Christian radio hit for thirteen weeks, and won a Grammy Award for "Best Gospel Performance, Female." Straight Ahead would be certified gold in 1985. The song "Thy Word" is based on Psalm 119:105.

In 2007, Straight Ahead was reissued and digitally remastered by Grant's new record label, EMI/Sparrow Records. The remastered edition is labeled with a "Digitally Remastered" logo in the 'gutter' on the CD front.

Straight Ahead was the first Christian album to chart on the Billboard pop album chart. A&M reissued it in 1985, just as Amy was appearing on the Grammy awards show singing "Angels".^{[citation needed]}

Track listing

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"Where Do You Hide Your Heart"	Amy Grant, Michael W. Smith	3:57
2.	"Jehovah"	Geoffrey P. Thurman	5:57
3.	"Angels"	Grant, Brown Bannister, Gary Chapman, Smith	4:10
4.	"Straight Ahead"	Grant, Chapman, Smith	3:47
5.	"Thy Word"	Grant, Smith	3:19
6.	"It's Not a Song"	Robbie Buchanan, Chapman	3:27
7.	"Open Arms"	Grant, Chapman, Bruce Hibbard	3:22
8.	"Doubly Good to You"	Rich Mullins	3:12
9.	"Tomorrow"	Grant, Chapman, Hibbard	3:24
10.	"The Now and the Not Yet"	Pam Mark Hall	3:36

Personnel

• Amy Grant: Vocals.
• Gary Chapman: Guitar, Background Vocals.
• Jon Goin: Guitar, Guitars.
• Dann Huff: Guitars.
• Dean Parks: Guitar.
• Duncan Mullins: Bass.
• Robbie Buchanan: Piano, Arranger, Keyboards, Fender Rhodes.
• Michael W. Smith: Piano, Keyboards.
• Shane Keister: Organ, Synthesizer.
• Alan Steinberger: Synthesizer.
• Paul Leim: Drums.
• Kenny Malone: Drums.
• Lenny Castro: Percussion.
• Farrell Morris: Percussion.
• Debra Black: Background Vocals.
• Bill Champlin: Background Vocals.
• Kim Fleming: Background Vocals.
• Steve George: Background Vocals.
• Richard Page: Background Vocals.
• Chris Harris: Background Vocals.
• Mark Mason: Background Vocals.
• Marty McCall: Background Vocals.
• Donna McElroy: Background Vocals.
• Gary Pigg: Background Vocals.
• Billy Sprague: Background Vocals.
• David Thornton: Background Vocals.
• Carmen Twillie: Background Vocals.

Production

• Producer: Brown Bannister
• Executive Producer: Michael Blanton, Dan Harrell, Gary Chapman.
• Engineer: Jack Joseph Puig, Jim Baird, Kevin Burns, Gene Eichelberger, Steven Ford, Jerry Mahler.
• Arranger: Alan Moore
• Design: Michael Borum, Dennis Hill
• Photography: Mike Borum, Aaron Rapoport.

Charts

Album - Billboard (North America)

Year	Chart	Position
1984	Top Contemporary Christian	1
1985	The Billboard 200	133

Singles - CCM Magazine (North America)

Year	Single	Chart	Position
1984	"Angels"	Christian Radio–Adult Contemporary	1
	"Thy Word"		4
	"Jehovah"		2
	"The Now And The Not Yet"		20

End of year charts

Year	Chart	Position
1984	U.S. Billboard Inspirational Albums	3
1985		1
1986		8

Awards

GMA Dove Awards

Year	Winner	Category
1985	Straight Ahead	Pop/Contemporary Album of the Year

Grammy Awards

Year	Winner	Category
1985	"Angels"	Best Gospel Performance, Female

Chart procession

Preceded by Not of this World by Petra

Billboard Top Contemporary Christian number-one album March 31, 1984 – May 25, 1985

Succeeded by Beat The System by Petra